Cigarettes



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CIGARETTES Filed April 4, 1958 Mail M5 m. N

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U Sttcs atent Ohio Patented Sept. 27, 1960 2,954,035 CIGARETTES Jacob A. Saflir, 6530 W. 5th St., Los Angeles 48, Calif. Filed Apr. 4, 1958, S91. No. 726,499

11 Claims. (Cl. 131-10 This invention relates to filter tip cigarettes and more particularly to the filter tip or mouth portion of the cigarette.

T he filter has a purpose in the cigarette and its eificiency lies in its greater or less ability to filter and modify the smoke from the cigarette proper.

With its degree of effectiveness, however, come several disadvantages to the smoker. Generally, a really eflicient filter makes the cigarette harder to draw and thus less pleasurable to smoke. Then, too, by very virtue of a filters effective filtering, the smoke that finally reaches the mouth is a flatter and less flavorful version of what it could and should be and thus often proves less satisfying to the smoker.

The average smoker has learned to tolerate this milder smoke and even enjoy it for a good portion of the day but there are times when the filtered smoke is an unsatisfactory substitute for the smoke of the regular cigarette.

Many persons who are unable to maintain a switch to a filter-type cigarette and yet would prefer to do so, especially for possible health reasons, would find a cigarette made with this invention a solution to their problem for they could smoke the same cigarettefiltered for a while-and then either lessen the filtering or discard the filter and finish with some good, strong, unfiltered puffs.v

For many people the afterdinner cigarette would be a more perfect complement to a good meal if the last few puffs could be, at the wish of the smoke ypuifs of real tobacco flavor instead of the filtered product.

The nervous, Worried, excited person, in whose hand the cigarette is an expression of his disturbance or restlessness, may require the effects of the regular cigarette from time to time and yet might be better off with a filtered type cigarette as a constant companion. With this invention he can make use of the filter as his needs direct.

a It is an object of this invention to provide a built-in filter or filter tip cigarette which affords the smoker a choice in the degree of filtering from zero to 100%.

.It is a further object of this invention to provide a cigarette which will give the smoker the tobacco he best enjoys-for .use in .one cigarette in the filtered or regular state.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a built in filter or filter-tip cigarette .which affords -the smoker a chance to increase or decrease the degree of filtering not for one change but for any number of times v during the smoking of the cigarette.

It is a further object of this invention to encourage filtered smoking by making it available even to the smoker who would want only part of his smoke filtered.

at the mouth end a movabledisk and a tobacco and filter arrangement whereby moving the. disk causes different proportions of the smoke to be, filtered. t

The foregoing objects can be realized by different cigarette structures some of which, for illustrative pur- This invention contemplates a cigarette structure having 1 poses, are shown in the accompanying drawings herein.

Figure 1 is the mouth end or filter end of a cigarette showing an embodiment of the improvement.

Figure 2 is similar to Figure 1 except that the disk used in this improvement has been rotated to a different position.

Figure 3 is similar to Figure 2 but showing just a little more rotation of the disk.

Figure 3B is a perspective view of a side of the cigarette showing the handle fitting through a slot in the cigarette paper.

Figure 4 is the disk similar to the one employed in the cigarette illustrated in Figure 3. a

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of a cigarette with disk in position.

ing details of internal structure.

Figure 7 is also a fragmentary enlarged sectional View showing internal structure.

In all of the above described views, like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts throughout.

Referring now to Figure 1-the mouth or filter end of a cigarette-10 is the cylindrical cigarette paper covering Within which there are disposed the contents of the cigarette. Surrounding '10 is a thin but stronger layer 11, generally of paper-but it can be of cardboard, cork, aluminum, metal foil, plastic, cellophane, or any suitable material-attached for a distance to the thin cigarette paper covering, 10, for strengthening and reinforcing it and giving it a degree of firmness.

In Figure 1 the strengthened layer 11 is shown outside the cigarette paper, Wrapper '10 but it may be placed inside. Slightly recessed from the mouth end of the cigarette is a disk 5 which snugly covers the cigarette interior and is rotatable over it. Disk 5 has an opening 6 through which can be seen the tobacco 8. At 7 on the disk 5 is a handle which comprises a small protuberance formed most simplybut embossing. Such a handle or tab can also be formed by attaching a bit of suitable paper or plastic to this area to create a prominence. The handle 7 permits, an easier rotation of the disk 5, whereby a change in the position of opening 6 brings it into varying relationships with the tobaccov 7, beneath.

In the position of the disk 5 illustrated in. Figure 1, only tobacco is exposed. When the cigarette is lit and the smoker draws on it there can be no filtering and he the tobacco surface .8 and exposes part of the filter Disk 5 is rotated by slight pushing on the handle 7',or light pressure on the disks edge 12. In the.v position.

shown in Figure 2, drawing on the cigarette will direct about one-third of the smoke through the filter 9. The rest will be unfiltered.

' Figure the: disk 5 has beenrt ur ned to oblige.

the smoke to pass throughthe filter 9. Here the disk 5 shows a handle 7 which fits through a slit in the cigarette paper 10, by which movement of the disk 5 can be accom plished. Slight pressure on the edge 12 of the disk 5 will also make movement of the disk 5 possible. Thus,

in the event handle 7" should become moist or, bent the disk 5 can still be moved. v

, In'Figure 3B, the disk 5 and its handle 7" can be seen through the slit 33 in the cigarette paper '10. The slit 33 extends from the point 3 1 to the point 32.

Figure 4 illustrates a disk 5 similar to the type used in the bore of the cigarette shown in Figure 3. There is a handle at 7". This disk has two openings 6 and 6" between which runs strip 30 which acts as a divider and also as a support for the narrow rim 31. There may, of course, be several of these openings. The edges =12 and 12' can be manipulated to move the disk 5. If a smoker desires to remove disk 5 entirely, he has merely to engage any point on the edge of opening 6 with his finger nail or some object and flick off the disk.

A smoker, therefore, who enjoys the fresh and unaltered taste of the pure tobacco of his choice may wish to start with his cigarette in the position of Figure 1, where the disk 5 is so positioned in the bore of the cigarette as to close off filter 9.

As his cigarette becomes shorter and the taste, perhaps, altered when the remaining tobacco becomes affected by deposits of tar and other undesirable elements, he may desire a degree of filtering. It is a simple matter to push disk 5 to a position shown in Figure 2. Should further filtering be desirable as the cigarette stub gets shorter, he can easily push the disk 5 to a position shown in Figure 3.

Other smokers may prefer to begin with disk 5 permitting full filtering but for receiving most satisfaction or pleasure, would prefer to be able to close off the filtering--as shown in Figure l, for the last few puffs of a stronger, fuller fiavor.

In the conventional sized cigarette, as shown in Figure 5, the closed portion of the disk 5 obstructs about onehalf of the passageway. This means less drawing and less of a draft and the cigarette will burn more slowly and produce less smoke, giving a longer and generally a more satisfying smoke.

Butwhen one cannot become adjusted to less smoke and must have a full volume of smoke, the cigarette is made as shown in Figure 7. Here, the mouth tip portion has been enlarged so that its area 27 will be twice that found in a conventional cigarette. In the area 17, however, the cigarette is the size of the normal conventional type. While this result can be accomplished in many ways, in Figure 7, the cigarette wrapper 10, over the normalarea, expands in the area 15 to the full double size 16. The opening 6' in the disk 5 is of a size that 'permits a volume of smoke to pass through it which is equivalent to the amount passing through a normal, con ventional type cigarette. The disk 5 in this Figure 7 fits into the concave surface of an embossed area 21 and 22 in the cigarette wrapper 10. The compartment 19 directly behind the disk 5 and above the filter 9 is empty, the tobacco 8 ending at point 18 which is the line that filter 9 reaches.

In Figure 5 the tobacco 8 reaches all the way to the disk 5 which is itself held in position against the tobacco 8 and the filter 9 by the turned down edges 23 and 24 of the inner wrapper 10 or outer wrapper 11 or by both inner 10 and outer 11 wrappers.

In Figure 6 the disk 5 is held in position by a rim 26 whose flat edge fits tightly against the cigarette wrapper paper 10. This rim, 26, which can be pasted in place, has an inner concave surface 27 for receiving the convex rim surface 28 of disk 5. The location of the opening 6 can be controlled by rotating the disk 5.

Rim 26 may be made from paper, cardboard, a suitable plastic, or a metal. If the rim 26 is made of metal and disk 5 is also made of metal, a very small amount of lubricant, such as a Vaseline, may be placed in the groove 27, preferably at the time of manufacture.

The forms of cigarettes shown and described are illustrative of the present invention, and it will be apparent that variations of such forms may be utilized without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A cigarette comprising a tubular paper shell filled 4 with tobacco and filtering means, said paper shell having two orifices, one on one end containing tobacco for lighting and the other on the other end containing a longitudinal filter part and a longitudinal tobacco part for placing in the mouth and for use in drawing during smoking and a rotary disk with at least one eccentric opening through its face, said disk mounted for rotation at the mouth orifice to completely cover the mouth end of said cigarette so that smoke from the cigarette must pass through said opening to reach the mouth of the smoker.

2. A cigarette comprising an outer tubular paper cover, an interior packing of tobacco for smoking and a mouth end portion, having an orifice, comprising a segment of said tubular paper cover containing a filter and a segment filled with tobacco, said segments being positioned in side by side relation, and a disk-like cover having at least one segment having perforations rotatably mounted over the mouth orifice so as to be capable of being selectively positioned to direct the passing of smoke through said segments by rotation of said disk-like cover.

3. A cigarette comprising an outer tubular paper covering creating a tubular hollow bore so as to provide an orifice at each end, a lighting end of the bore which is filled with tobacco, a shorter mouth end of the bore which is divided into two or more segments in side by side relation, at least one segment containing a filter, a disk-like cover over the mouth end orifice of the bore, and means in the outer paper cover for holding said disk-like cover rotatably with respect to said outer paper cover and to said shorter mouth end, said disc like cover being provided over substantially half of its area, all on one side of a diameter of said disk like cover, with apertures whereby smoke from said cigarette may be drawn therethrough.

4. In a filter type cigarette, a filter portion near the mouth end of the cigarette, such filter portion comprising a half cylinder of non tobacco filtering material coaxially disposed with respect to said cigarette, its outer end terminating close to but short of the mouth end of the cigarette, the mouth end of the cigarette being provided with a coaxial transversely disposed control disk having a semi-circular opening therein, said control disk being mounted for rotation about its axis, whereby the smoker may, by rotary adjustment of the disk, control the degree of filtering of the smoke through said non tobacco filtering element.

5. A cigarette constructed as in claim 4 in which the portion of the cigarette adjacent to and along side of said filter portion is filled with tobacco.

6. A cigarette constructed as in claim 4 in which the portion of the cigarette adjacent to and alongside of the filter portion is empty.

7. A cigarette constructed as in claim 4 in which the cigarette has an enlarged month end portion, the cross section of each half cylindrical portion of said filter portion being substantially equal to the cross section of the tobacco in the main portion of the cigarette.

8. A cigarette as in claim 7 in which the enlarged terminal portion of the cigarette is provided with an annular guideway for the control disk.

9. A cigarette constructed as in claim 4 in which the month end of the cigarette has a reinforcement sleeve secured thereto exteriorly thereof, and in which the terminal portion of the reinforcement sleeve provides a guideway for said control disk.

10. A cigarette as defined in claim 4 in which the month end portion of the cigarette is provided with an annular ring secured within the cigarette at the mouth end terminal end thereof, said ring providing an annular guideway for snugly receiving the peripheral portion of said control disk therein for guiding the rotary adjustment thereof.

11. A cigarette constructed in accordance with claim 4 in which the control disk has two openings which are sector shaped and lie within one-half of the circular area of said disk, said openings having therebetween a strip which acts as a divider and also as a support for the narrow rim, said disk being provided with a peripheral finger 2,349,551

piece. 2,389,104

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 18,341

2,124,130 Van Deventer July 19, 1938 760,772

2,153,623 Jacobson Apr. 11, 19 39 1, 01,759

Helm May 23, 1944 Bauer Nov. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 25, 1903 Great Britain Dec. 28, 1954 France Apr. 27, 1955 

